2021 Turkey Toss Gobbles Up Record Attendance
By Jayson Woods, Programs & Facilities Supervisor, Parks & Recreation
Fresh on the heels (or spurs?) of the 2020 Turkey Toss being recognized for a Snapshot Moment award at the VRPS Annual Conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia, this year ’ s tournament set the bar even higher! Enjoying the record - breaking participation of 17 teams, the tournament was made possible by the support of Prodigy Disc and Visit Orange County Virginia, with the additional generous backing of prize sponsors Champion Ice House, Unionville Brewing Company, Iron Pipe Alewerks, and Patch Brewing Company. Despite the chilly and breezy weather, spirits were high as folks began the check - in process and received their commemorative disc.
Parks & Recreation was overjoyed to see almost all our previous teams return, and glad to welcome new faces as well. Since 2019, the tournament has increased from 9 teams, to 14, and now 17! The increase in participation resulted in us adding an additional flight after the first round. These flights are groups of players with similar scores created based on first round performance, with the intent of creating miniature competitive groups within the larger whole. Using this system, players who are more recreational can still enjoy some competitive thrills against their peers rather than continuing a second round knowing they have already been eliminated from prize potential by more serious players. The whole tournament premise is
built with a primary focus on fun and a secondary focus on competition, which matches the mission and design of the course itself. The first round allows players to try out formats like “ Best Score ” and “ Captain ’ s Choice, ” which are a refreshing change from typical play as teammates can make up for each other ’ s mistakes. The second round is designed to increase separation between teams; “ Alternate Shot ” is played for all 18 holes. Alternate shot requires players to take turns and make decisions, and a mistake by either teammate can spell disaster.
Continually strong competitors, the odds - on favorites entering the tournament were the Roberts twins, Caleb and Tyler. Claiming the early lead after the first round with a blazing
score of 42 (or 13 under par), they built on their lead in the second round. Their score dropped by only 2 throws compared to the first round despite the much more challenging “ Alternate Shot ” play format. Overall, they took the Championship position by a commanding lead of 8 throws. In the second flight the competition was much tighter, with the team of Austin Gerber and Matt Beaulieu (returning champs from 2020) winning with only 6 throws separating them from the fifth - place team in that flight. The third flight
Page 21 | December, 2021
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